FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2-12-05

College Softball: Belmont Abbey 6-0, AASU 4-1

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Sophomore Amber Hunt’s solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning helped the Armstrong Atlantic State softball squad to a 1-0 win and a doubleheader split with visiting Belmont Abbey on Saturday afternoon at the AASU Softball Field. The Crusaders took game one, 6-4, thanks to Monica Halligan’s two two-run home runs.

Halligan and the Crusaders (1-5) erased a 3-2 AASU lead in game number one with a two-run shot off of AASU starter Heather Woods (2-1) in the fourth inning. Halligan then followed it up with another two-run shot in the sixth to give Belmont Abbey a 6-4 lead. AASU (6-2) rallied in the bottom of the seventh to put the winning run at the plate, but Amanda Kort struck out and Deana Beaty – who had a solo home run of her own earlier in the game – popped up to first to end the game. Shallyn Duffy pitched five innings, giving up three hits and striking out four to get the win for the Crusaders, while Woods gave up all six runs – four earned – in six innings to take the loss.

In the Pirates’ second game, AASU freshman Whitney Propes and Belmont Abbey’s Cameron Greene hooked up in a scoreless duel until the bottom of the sixth inning, when Amber Hunt smacked a one-out pitch over the fence for a solo home run and a 1-0 lead. Propes then pitched out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh, retiring Kristen Taffi on a fly out to center field to seal the victory. Propes limited the Crusaders to just three hits and struck out two in picking up her first collegiate shutout, while Greene was the hard-luck loser for Belmont Abbey, giving up five hits and one run in six innings pitched.

AASU returns to action on Saturday, February 19, as the Pirates host Tusculum College for a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader at the AASU Softball Field.

- Pirates -